go after me. i'm happy to have that discussion with them. >> escalating violence in the middle east. israelis and palestinians are killed. getting answers officials in new york demand answers from utility companies on their handling of hurricane sandy. this is the "cbs morning news" for thursday, november 15, 2012.

good morning. thanks for joining us. the sex scandal that forced cia director david petraeus to resign is widening. petraeus' mistress paula broadwell sent emails to petraeus and other senior military leaders besides general john allen. meanwhile the fbi agent frederick humphries who launched the investigation of emails is being investigated by the fbi for his role in the case. specifically why he took concerns about this case to republican members of congress. house and senate panels are expected to meet again today with fbi and cia officials. they want to know whether national security was jeopardized and why congress didn't know about the investigation sooner. during a news conference on wednesday president obama praised david petraeus. >> general petraeus had an extraordinary career. he served this country with great distinction in iraq, in afghanistan and as head of the

cia. by his own assessment he did not meet the standards that he felt were necessary a the director of the cia with respect to this personal matter that he's now dealing with, with his family and with his wife. and it's on that basis that he tendered his resignation and i accepted. >> they are looking into the handling of the attack on the u.s. consulate in benghazi. tomorrow they will hear from david petraeus. susan mcginnis is in washington with more. >> reporter: this is something congressional leaders have been calling for and now general petraeus will be here on capitol hill. his input is seen as critical regarding the attacks in benghazi and also he's expected to asked about his affair and that fbi investigation. after calls by congressional leadership former cia director david petraeus will testify

before congress tomorrow about the attack on the u.s. consulate in benghazi. petraeus was scheduled to testify today before a house intelligence committee but those plans changed after he resigned following his admission of an affair with his biographer paula broadwell. bengazhi is at the center of another capitol hill battle. senate republicans say they will not accept the nomination of u.n. ambassador susan rice as a replacement for secretary of state hillary clinton. >> we'll do whatever is necessary to block the nomination. >> reporter: senators john mccain and lindsey graham said rice was either lying or incompetent when she made this statement five days after the attack. >> we don't have information at present that leads us to conclude this was premeditated or preplanned. >> reporter: president obama said the ambassador was presenting the intelligence information she was given. he challenged those who attacked ambassador rice. >> if senator mccain and senator

graham and others want to go after somebody they should go after me. >> reporter: senator mccain accepted that offer. >> the president of the united states, the commander-in-chief is the most responsible and i hope the president has no illusions about our view of his responsibility. >> reporter: mccain and graham want a watergate style committee to investigate the benghazi attack. and general petraeus will testify here on capitol hill tomorrow morning at 7:30 a.m. back to you. president obama and republicans in congress have staked out their position on the so-called fiscal cliff. that's the package of tax increase and spending cuts scheduled to take effect in january. that's january 1st if he and congress don't reach an agreement. on wednesday the president met with business leaders to talk about the economy. meanwhile stocks have fallen steadily since mr. obama won re-election. the dow lost 185 points on wednesday. it's down 430 points since

election day. nancy cordes reports on the looming high budget battle. >> step number one we can take in the next couple of weeks provide certainty to middle class families, 98% of families who make less than $250,000 a year, 97% of small businesses that their taxes will not go up a single dime next year. give them that certainty right now. >> reporter: but john boehner has ball clubbed at that idea. it would take away his party's leverage in calf issues. >> there's a lot of issues on the table that need to be resolved. i laid out a reasonable framework where both parties can work together and i'm looking forward to meet at the white house on friday and begin that conversation. >> reporter: boehner and other top republicans have proposed eliminating deductions and loopholes that benefit the wealthy instead of raising their tax rates. >> we're not going to hurt our

economy and make job creation more difficult, which is exactly what that plan would do. >> reporter: today the president argued closing loopholes alone won't do enough to cut the deficit. they will have that argument face to face with boehner on friday. >> one of the most frequent criticisms we've heard over the past few years from members on both side is that you haven't done enough to reach out and build relationships. are there concrete ways that you plan to approach your relationships with congress in the second term? >> look, i think there's no doubt i can always do better and i don't exempt myself from needing to do some self-reflection and see if i can improve our working relationship. there are going to be times where there are fights and i don't think those are fights that need to be had. >> reporter: the president warned if the two sides don't strike a deal it could hurt the christmas shopping season and dampen hiring as people prepare for their tax rates to go up on january 1st.

some of the fiercest fighting in years has erupted between israelis and palestinians. hamas rocket fired from gaza killed three israelis. the tensions ratchets up wednesday when israel carried out the targeted killing of a hamas leader. first shot in an expanding military operation. after several days of rocket fire launched from palestinian territories and a missile attack that wound four israeli soldiers israel responded with force on wednesday. an air strike killed ahmad jabari the top commander of mass. the attack killed 10 palestinians including two children. palestinians called for revenge outside the hospital where jabari was taken. prime minister benjamin netanyahu made good on a promise that israelis operation could expand. israeli officials call itself defense. >> israel is acting to protect

our people. to defend the civilian population of the south that has been on the receiving end of hundreds of rockets and missiles fired by the terrorists in gaza. no country who sit by idly and see their civilian population target this way. neither will israel. >> the militants fought backfiring dozens of rockets at southern israeli towns. israel said its missile defense system intercepted dozens of rockets. israel is preparing for ground invasion of gaza if necessary and that an emergency session at the united nations, palestinian delegates asked the security council to halt israel's defenses. and at the same time the escalating violence caused people on both sides of israel's and gaza's boarder to take sheller. president obama called president netanyahu to offer his support for israel.

the president talked to egypt's president morsi. coming up on the morning news, trouble for an accused masked shooter. why a court hearing was delayed for james holmes the suspected gunman in the colorado movie theater shooting and later luck for two brothers trying to pull off a multimillion dollar lottery scheme. this is the "cbs morning news." mother: this is george. he is a good little monkey and always very curious. one day george got an important letter...

he's built a rocket ship to travel into space. girl: google, how far is earth to the moon? google voice response: moon is 238,900 miles... mother vo: the great moment had come... ...3...2...1. ♪ have led to an increase intands clinical depression. drug and alcohol abuse is up. and those dealing with grief don't have access to the professional help they need. when you see these issues, do you want to walk away or step up? with a degree in the field of counseling or psychology from capella university, you'll have the knowledge to make a difference in the lives of others. let's get started at capella.edu you've been there. you pick out a makeup thinking it's your shade until you actually try it out. now, i have a make up that always gets it right.

announcer: smart shade make up instantly adjust to match perfectly to your skin. only from almay. only for me. it'and start talking aboutt whawhat you really wanthroom. from your toilet paper. it's time to talk about clean. feeling clean is so important. i use quilted northern. quilted northern soft and strong is stronger than the leading value brand, for a confident clean. . a judge postponed today's hearing for the man charged in the colorado movie theater massacre that left 12 dead. james holmes tried to kill himself several times during the past few days. he was briefly hospitalized this week. they describe his attempt as half-hearted and say none resulted in serious injury. the man suspected of kidnapping and murdering 6-year-old new york city boy

etanpa tm patz in 1979. the fda wants more power to oversee pharmacies following a meningitis outbreak. the agency's head asked for more authority from congress even the lawmakers asked why the fda didn't do more with the power it already had has. >> to provide oversight of drug manufacturers is very different than our authority to oversee compounding pharmacies which are, in fact, exempted from important aspects of fda law. >> the new england compounding center of massachusetts distributed the contaminated steroids that killed 32 and sickened 460. the head of the center was at yesterday's congressional hearing but barry cadden invoked his fifth amendment rights. president obama visit staten

island, new york. it comes as new york's attorney general subpoenaed two power companies into a probe into their performance. the subpoenas demand con ed and long island power authority turn over details for storm preparation. straight ahead your thursday morning weather and in sports, what's worse? shooting under your own basket or missing three times? okay, now here's our holiday gift list. aww, not the mall. well, i'll do the shopping... if you do the shipping. shipping's a hassle. i'll go to the mall. hey. hi. you know, holiday shipping's easy with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service. if it fits, it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. yea, i know. oh, you're good. good luck! priority mail flat rate boxes. online pricing starts at $5.15. only from the postal service.

[ male announcer ] it's that time of year. time for campbell's green bean casserole. you'll find the recipe at campbellskitchen.com. ♪ campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do. but they haven't experienced extra strength bayer advanced aspirin. in fact, in a recent survey, 95% of people who tried it agreed that it relieved their headache fast. visit fastreliefchallenge.com today for a special trial offer. it's a rainy morning becoming a caramel drizzle. with folgers gourmet selections, you can turn any day gourmet. new roasts, new flavors, and a new look.

. here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country. new york morning clouds 48. miami morning showers 81. chicago, clouds and sun 49. dallas sunny 66. los angeles mostly cloudy, 74. now for a check of today's national forecast, the west coast will be battered by two storms over the next few days with some coastal are expecting four to five inches of rain. starting tonight through tuesday. higher elevations could see major snowfall. dry weather persists in the midwest, northeast and south but expected scattered showers in the carolinas and parts of georgia and florida. on the cbs morning moneywatch some positive news in the foreclosure front and a big burger that will take a bite out of your wallet too. ashley morrison is here in new york with more. >> reporter: good morning. several european cities are recovering from demonstrations over austerity measures, which

stretched into the night. protesters in madrid started fires late wednesday after the 24 hour general strike. the violence disrupted air and rail travel in italy and belgium. across europe more than 100 people were arrested. concerns about europe's debt crisis sent asian markets lower. hang seng lost 1% but the nikkei gained 2%. fewer homes are entering foreclosure and lenders aren't repossessing as many of them. a new report out this morning by realtytrac said banks began foreclosuring on more than 970,000 homes january through october. that's down 8% from last year. repo sessions have fallen about 19%. a government report says americans are spending less putting an end to three months of retail gains. retail sales fell .3% and automobile sales tumbled 1.5%.

republican lawmakers blame a former new jersey governor for the collapse of brokerage form ms global. the firm went bankrupt last year. ms global lost more than a billion dollars of clients' money. house republicans say he allowed the firm to make risky trades. corzine disputes the claim. it's the dollar menu for the 1%. a restaurant in beverly hills is selling a $500 burger. that's right, $500 burger. it's 12 ounces of kobe beef burger with truffle cheese. you have to order it two days ahead of time and pay in advance. that better be one amazing burger. >> i can't imagine how it tastes. >> no. better throw in a bottle of wine. >> ashley morrison here in new york. thanks.

in sports the awards for the best pitcher in major league baseball went to a young lefty and 38-year-old knuckleballer. r.a. dicky, 14 years in the minors earned the league's cy young award. his trademark knuckleball baffled hitters all year. david price won the american league'scy young. treat for nba fans, miami lebron james and clipper's star blake griffith. lebron scored 30 points. griffith finishes with a double and clippers win 107-100. check out this display of bad basketball. this is from a game in belgium. a player on the yellow team grabs a rebound under his own basket. then he takes a shot. good thing he misses. but watch at he shoots two more times. finally his teammate knocks the

ball away. that's teamwork four. when we return, million dollar scheme. two brothers caught after trying to cash in someone else's lottery dreams. [ male announcer ] we're excited by trends. ♪ and mng brings the best to your neighborhood jcp. european style that makes every day better. ♪ get it on ♪ bang the gong [ male announcer ] at jcp, we're into the i jeans attitude. it's what you put on when you're going out. what you feel good in. feel better every day in i jeans by buffalo. at truly low prices.

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and the doctor removed them before they had a chance to turn into cancer! [announcer] if you're 50 or older, get screened. here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. washington, d.c., partly sunny 50 degrees. atlanta morning rain 54. st. louis clouds and sun 54 degrees. denver mostly sunny 45, seattle variable clouds 5 degrees. police say john bon jovi's daughter was rushed to the harry potter after overdosing heroin. she's facing drug charges after the incident police say happened yesterday in her dorm room at hamilton college in upstate new york. investigators say they found heroin, marijuana and drug paraif a na la after searching the dorm. two brothers tricked a man

out of a lottery ticket worth $5 million sold from their own family run store. investigators say the brothers told the victim he won $5,000 and gave him $4,000 after a $1,000 cashing fee. lottery officials got suspicious. >> there was a guy on the street saying that this was his money, so we interviewed that person, found corroborating evidence of his story and here we are today. >> the brothers are charged with felonies. a bus driver in baltimore has been suspended for fighting with a passenger. the incident was caught on cell phone camera. the female bus driver is seen fighting with a young female student. the passenger was beingrespectful. it's not known what started the altercation. coming up after your local

news on cbs "this morning," country music starry son aldine. this is "cbs morning news."

. good morning. welcome to 9news now. today is thursday, november 15. i'm andrea roane. there's an app for that because there's an app for everything. i'm mike hydeck. good morning, monika samtani.

good morning, howard. good morning. one week till thanksgiving. you have your family visiting? >> yes, friday. >> i'm already giving thanks and they're not even here yet. >> a temporary visit is that what it is? >> let's hope. >> it's going to be a decent day. we have cloudy skies. we'll be in and out of the clouds with high temperatures around the 50-degree mark. then we'll get back to 48 by 5:00 again with partly to mostly cloudy skies. you can see the clouds blowing off the showers and rain areas in the airline thats -- in the carolinas this morning. -- totally dry. we have areas still 40 degrees

fredricksburg. mid-40s in southern maryland with a 41 here in d.c. your forecast highs for the afternoon with the clouds, some sunshine, upper 40s to low 50. should have winds northeast at 5 miles an hour. monika samtani, it's 4:27. timesaver traffic. if you're planning to head outside, i already have one issue to report. and some construction as well. first of all the issue on the inner loop of the beltway we're just getting word of a possible accident near river road. let's take a live look outside and show you what it looks like on the northbound side of the beltway so just out of this camera shot. watch out for potential accident activity if that's your' headed right -- you're headed right now. on the inner loop of the beltway before braddock road, inner loop before route 7 as well. all of the construction should be cleared up within the next 20 to 30 minutes. another live lookout side -- look outside. nutley street still very quiet headed for 495.

i'll be back with more at 4:47. today three capitol hill hearings will look into the attack on the u.s. consulate in benghazi, lybia. everyone from the director of the f.b.i. to think tank analysts will testify before congress. >> david petraeus will testify about the attack as well and calls for his testimony started growing after his former mistress paula broadwell made allegations about that incident. susan mcginnis has more. >> reporter: after calls by congressional leadership,  former c.i.a. director david petraeus will testify before congress tomorrow about the attack on the u.s. consulate in benghazi. >> good luck, sir. >> thank you. >> reporter: petraeus was scheduled to testify today before a house intelligence committee but those plans changed after he resigned following an admission of an affair with his biographer paula broadwell. benghazi is at the center of another hub lick hill battle. -- public hill battle.

>> we will do whatever is necessary to block the nomination. >> reporter: senators john mccain and lindsay graham say susan rice was either lying or incompetent when she made this statement. >> we do not have information at present that leads us to conclude that this was premeditated or preplanned. >> reporter: president obama said the ambassador was presenting the intelligence information she was given. he challenged those who attacked ambassador rice. >> if senator mccain and senator graham and others want to go after somebody, they should go after me. >> reporter: senator mccain accepted that offer. >> the president of the united states, the commander in chief is the most responsible and i hope the president has no illusion abouts our view of his responsibility. >> reporter: mccain and graham want a watergate style committee to investigate the benghazi attack. susan mcginnis, cbs news, washington.